Eight Badges, Eight Crests
by Barbara Fett
Summary: There are plenty of Poke vs. Digi stories. Here's one where they work together. Couples in this story are Misty/Ash and Sorachi.
1. Day 1 - An Adventure Begins

eightbadges1 A/N: In the Pokémon timeline, this story begins immediately after "The Battle of the Badge" (ep. 8 of season 2). In the Digimon timeline, this story starts at a point in the Dark Masters story arc when everyone was together and they weren't fighting anyone. Also, I know the all caps is annoying but that's what a message spelled in Unown would look like; they only have capital letters.   
This has been beta-read by 3 people so far: Link_of_Shadow, Steve Jester, and PrincessSerenity. Thanks to all of you. It was sent to several other people, though, and I couldn't wait any longer for them, so I just posted this thing. If any of my other beta-readers are reading this, I apologize. You're still welcome to send me your critiques.   


_"Two worlds there are where monsters live,_   
_And fight for glory and for good;_   
_However, at the present time_   
_All is not going as it should._   
_An evil being on the rise_   
_Is out to conquer both the lands;_   
_The children who can save their worlds_   
_Hold crests and badges in their hands._   
_When all the chosen children meet,_   
_They can the evil one defeat."_

The worlds were in phase. It was about the same time of day in both of them, people were traveling through both of them, and they were both threatened by an insidious evil. The crests in the Digital World were to be part of the connection between the two worlds. It was time for them to make their move. 

In an instant, all eight of them flashed out of the sight of their owners. 

"Our crests!" exclaimed Tai, the leader of the group. "What's going on?" 

"They just abandoned us . . ." said Matt. 

"That's unlikely," Izzy responded. "They're too important to us." 

"Maybe something took them!" said Joe, terrified. 

"If something has, it'll come out soon," said Sora. "Keep your eyes open." 

******* 

"Wha - ?" 

Ash looked quizzically at the inside of his jacket. "My badges . . . They're different . . ." 

"How could they . . ." said his friend Misty, looking at the same thing. There were now eight small, flat rectangles with designs etched on them in place of the badges Ash had earned through Pokémon battling. 

"There's something strange going on . . ." said their other friend, Brock, quietly. 

******* 

Before the eyes of the Digidestined, new symbols appeared in their tags. These were more colorful and shiny than the crests; many of them resembled the crests. 

"Perhaps the crests have been upgraded," said Izzy, who always tried to be logical. 

"You'd think someone would tell us if that happened," said Tai. 

Just then, something happened that was strange, but not completely unfamiliar to the Digidestined. A sort of window, like a huge Digiport, appeared in front of them. There were three people and two . . . Were those Digimon? - on the other side. Both sides stared at each other with the same bewildered look. 

"What do we do?" Sora asked Tai. 

"Try to talk to them, but we can't let our guard down," said Tai. He then addressed the people on the other side of the window. "Hello there." 

"Hi," said Ash. "What is this window thing?" 

"We don't know either. Are those Digimon?" 

"No, these are Pokémon. What are Digimon?" 

"I'm one," said Agumon. "It means Digital Monster." 

"Pokémon means Pocket Monster," said Ash. "Hey, did your Digimon just talk?" 

"Yes," said Agumon. 

"My Pokémon can't," said Ash. "They only say their names." 

"If Pokémon don't talk," asked Tai, "what do they do?" 

"They fight in battles to earn rewards for their trainers. I just earned my eighth badge -" He reached for it, but then remembered. "It's gone, though. Look at this, all my badges changed." He opened his jacket, revealing the crests. 

Tai gasped. Without thinking, he ran towards Ash. He stopped abruptly a few feet from the Pokémon trainers. Realizing that he had passed through the window, he looked back and saw his friends looking through it. 

"It's open!" he called to them. "Come on through!" 

Cautiously, the other Digidestined and Digimon stepped through. Having served its purpose, the window closed. 

Tai turned back to Ash. "My crest! All our crests! So that's what happened to them!" 

"These things are crests?" said Ash. 

"Yes, and they belong to us. Can we have them back?" 

"Yes. What are they, anyway?" 

"They're symbols of our special qualities. This one's mine." He took the crest of Courage from the array. "It represents courage. It's supposed to go in my tag" - he held it up - "but this thing is in there instead." 

"That's my Thunderbadge!" said Ash. 

"Yours?" said Tai. 

"Yes!" 

"Well, here." Tai returned the badge to Ash and put the crest back in his tag. "My friends must have the rest of the badges. Sora?" 

Sora took her crest. "Yes, here's mine, the crest of Love . . . and here's the badge I got." 

"The Soulbadge," said Ash. 

The badges and crests were all returned in this way. Matt had the Earthbadge, Izzy the Volcanobadge, Mimi the Cascadebadge, Joe the Boulderbadge, TK the Marshbadge, and Kari the Rainbowbadge. 

"Thanks," said Ash. 

"Thank you," said Tai. "Whoa! What's that?" 

A swarm of black things was coming towards the group, stopping right in front of them. Close up, the black things were letters with eyes. They spelled out a message. 

GREETINGS CHOSEN CHILDREN STOP THIS IS A PLEA FOR HELP STOP 

"What's with the 'stop'?" said Ash. 

WE USE THE WORD STOP TO INDICATE THE END OF A SENTENCE STOP 

"Oh. What's your plea for help?" 

AN EVIL BEING CALLED SHINOSAMA IS TRYING TO SUCK THE LIFE FROM THIS WORLD AND FROM THE DIGITAL WORLD STOP YOU MUST DEFEAT HIM STOP 

"But we're trying to defeat the Dark Masters right now!" protested Tai. 

ABANDON THAT EFFORT FOR THE TIME BEING STOP WHEN YOU RETURN TO THE DIGITAL WORLD VERY LITTLE TIME WILL HAVE PASSED STOP 

"So we _will _get back to the Digital World?" 

YES OF COURSE STOP 

"Okay. What do we have to do?" 

YOU MUST TRAVEL TO JUNCTION PEAK WHERE SHINOSAMA IS BASED STOP ONCE THERE YOU MUST USE ALL YOUR BATTLE SKILLS AGAINST HIM STOP 

"I'm there," said Tai. 

"Me too," said Ash. 

VERY WELL STOP MAKE SURE YOU ALL WORK TOGETHER OR YOU WILL NOT SUCCEED STOP 

"Okay," said Ash. "By the way, what are you?" 

WE ARE THE UNOWN STOP WE ARE A SPECIES OF PSYCHIC POKEMON STOP WHEN WE LEARNED OF SHINOSAMA WE LOOKED FOR HELP AND FOUND YOU THREE TRAINERS AND THE CRESTS AND THEIR OWNERS STOP WE MADE THE CRESTS AND BADGES SWITCH PLACES AND WE OPENED THE WINDOW STOP 

"Wow, you can do all that?" 

YES BUT NOW WE MUST RETURN TO WHERE WE CAME FROM STOP WE WILL BE WATCHING YOU BUT WE WILL NOT HELP YOU STOP FAREWELL STOP 

The swarm flew away. 

"Let's get going!" said Ash. "Junction Peak is only four days from here, and we'll pass my house on the way." He started walking immediately. 

"Off on another adventure!" said Tai, following him. 

"Here goes," sighed Joe. 

"Hey, look, we're in civilization again!" said Mimi. 

"And, we can find out all about these Pokémon," said Izzy. 

Ash's group, which had expanded very much, was on its way to another of the great battles for which both worlds were famous. 

**To be continued . . .**

Disclaimer: Digimon belongs to Saban, Fox, Toei Animation, et al. Pokémon belong to Nintendo, Creatures, Gamefreak et al.   
The rest is mine. No money is being made off this; I write because it's fun. :-) 


	2. Day 1 - The Rest of the Day

eightbadges2 A/N: Thanks to my sister for the "Well, you didn't have to ruin my bike!" line. The badges really DO have those powers in the Game Boy games. 

**Chapter 2**

Later in the day, the Digidestined and their new companions were walking down the road to Pallet Town. Everyone had been introduced, and the basic natures of Pokémon and Digimon had been discussed. Now, they were talking about the adventurous journeys they had been on. 

"My journey started when I went to Professor Oak to get Pikachu," said Ash. "He's an expert on Pokémon, and he was giving them out to new trainers. Pikachu was the last one he had. It took all day for Pikachu to learn to trust me." 

"Ash met me that day, too," said Misty. "He took . . . he took my bike and he still owes me for it!" She looked pointedly at Ash. 

"I had to get away from those Spearow!" said Ash. 

"Well, you didn't have to ruin my bike!" 

"Sorry! See, some bird Pokémon called Spearow were chasing me, and I borrowed her bike to get away from them, and I crashed it. That's why she's still with me. So we came to Viridian City, but the gym was closed and Team Rocket was in town. They're a group of Pokémon thieves, and they've been chasing me ever since that day because they want Pikachu. Then we went to Pewter City and met Brock, and I got my Boulderbadge. In the last year, I've been to all the cities around here and earned all the Indigo League badges. I had to win battles with gym leaders to earn them. Once, in Saffron City, I had to take the gym leader on twice before I beat her." 

"So what are you doing after this trip?" asked Tai. 

"I'm going to train for the Indigo League competition. I want to be a Pokémon Master someday." 

"Cool. Our journey began when we were at summer camp. The weather got weird, and then we got zapped to an island in the Digital World. We met our partner Digimon then, just like you met Pikachu. Did you get your other Pokémon along the way?" 

"Yes. I caught some of them, but some of them followed me." 

"Because they liked you and wanted to fight for you?" said Patamon. 

"Yes," said Ash. 

"That's how we felt!" 

"Wow! So what happened next, Tai?" 

"We traveled around the whole island," said Tai, "and then we fought Devimon, the evil Digimon who was controlling it. We won because of TK and Patamon. Then Gennai told us to go to the continent of Server to defeat more evil Digimon. We got our tags on the way, and as we traveled, we all found our crests. Myotismon, one of the evil Digimon, got into our real world and tried to find the eighth Digidestined, but we found her first. The eighth child turned out to be my sister, Kari." 

"I was working for Myotismon then," said Gatomon. "When I found Kari, I realized that she and I were partners, and we joined the Digidestined team." 

"We defeated Myotismon and went back to the Digital World," concluded Tai, "and we were only there a little while before we came here. We were trying to defeat the Dark Masters, a group of evil Mega-level Digimon." 

"Wow," said Ash. "That sounds like an adventure. Do your crests make your Digimon stronger?" 

"Yes." 

"So do my badges. They help my Pokémon with their special abilities, attack speeds, and things like that." 

"Special attacks? Like what?" asked Palmon. 

"Like fire or water or electric attacks. There are 15 Pokémon types with different special attacks. Pikachu is an Electric-type Pokémon, and it uses electric shock attacks." 

"So do I!" said Tentomon. 

"Wanna see who can do it longer?" 

"All right." 

"Okay, Pikachu, Tentomon, when I count to three, start shocking. One . . . two . . . three!" 

"Super-Shocker!" 

"CHUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU!" 

Pikachu kept it up for five full seconds before Ash said, "Okay, that's enough. I guess Digimon attacks are just one-shot things." 

"Not all of them," said Gabumon. "Blue Blaster!" This attack lasted as long as Pikachu's. 

"Oh, okay." 

"Are there any water Digimon here?" asked Misty. 

"Me," said Gomamon. 

"How cute!" 

"Thanks. Is Togepi a Water Pokémon?" 

"No, it's not. Here, let me get one out . . ." She opened her backpack and took a Pokeball out. "Misty calls... Goldeen!" 

Of course, the Pokémon who came was not the one that had been called. "Psyduck!" said Misty. "I didn't call you!" 

"Psyduck psy!" said Psyduck. 

"Hi," said Gomamon. 

******* 

That evening, the group stopped near a stream. "You don't mind camping out, do you?" said Ash. 

"No," replied Tai. "We do it all the time." 

"When we camp out, I usually cook," said Brock. "What do you do?" 

"I catch fish," said Gomamon. "I'll go do that now." 

"Okay." 

"I start the fire," said Agumon. 

"Biyomon and I look for fruit," said Tentomon. 

"And I make the dishes," said Gabumon. "Agumon helps me." 

"Great," said Brock. "I only have enough dishes and food for three people, so let's all get to work." 

Soon, a fire was burning and everyone was ready to eat. Gomamon came back from the stream empty-handed and unhappy. 

"Gomamon!" said Joe. "No luck, huh?" 

"No," said Gomamon. "My power over fish doesn't work here." 

"That's okay," said Brock. "We still have enough food. Let's eat!" 

After dinner, everyone went to bed. Gomamon was the only one who couldn't fall asleep. Without his fish powers, he felt weak, vulnerable, and useless. 

"Hey, Joe," Gomamon said quietly. 

"What is it?" said Joe. 

"How am I going to get through this? I'm nothing without my fish powers." 

"Don't talk like that. You're still my partner and a part of the team. You should know by now that we all need each other." 

"Yes, I know. But, we are in a new world -" 

"That doesn't matter. This world has different monsters, and different rules. We'll just have to live with that. We're the Digidestined, and we're a team no matter what." 

"That's nice to know. Good night, Joe." 

"Good night, Gomamon." 

**To be continued . . .**

Disclaimer: Digimon belongs to Saban, Fox, Toei Animation, et al. Pokémon belong to Nintendo, Creatures, Gamefreak et al. No money is being made off this; I write because it's fun. :-) 


	3. Day 2 - Rocket Encounter

eightbadges3 **Chapter 3**

When morning came, the mixed group of Digidestined and Pokémon trainers awoke to sunlight and a gentle breeze. They got up, ate breakfast, broke camp, and went on their way. 

After a while, they found a basket of fruit sitting in the middle of the road. "Chu!" Pikachu started to run towards it. 

"Pikachu, wait!" Ash said sharply. "That's one of Team Rocket's traps. We'll have to go around it." 

"Why? What happens if we don't?" asked Tai. 

"We fall in a hole. You have to stay away from the fruit when you walk by." 

They did what Ash had said to do. When they had passed by the fruit, Ash said, "See, their traps are harmless if you know how to handle them." 

"PIKA!!!" 

Someone in the bushes had snatched Pikachu away from Ash's side. Ash stopped and said, "Team Rocket, I know you're there! Come out and face me!" 

"Yeah, give Pikachu back!" added Patamon, drawing a few odd looks from the group. 

Jessie, James, and Meowth came out onto the road. "Who said that?" said Jessie. "And who are all these kids?" 

"And what are those things?" said Meowth, meaning the Digimon. 

"They must be some sort of rare Pokémon," said James. "Let's get them too." 

"Did that Pokémon just talk?" asked Agumon. 

"Yes," said Meowth. "What are you, anyway?" 

"I'm a Digimon, short for Digital Monster." 

"It's a long story," said Tai. "Now give Pikachu back!" 

"Not without a fight!" declared Jessie. 

"With me?" 

"No, with the twerp. We only fight with real Pokémon, not weird things like those Digimon." 

"We'll show you! Ash, someone has to fight them, so can we do it?" 

"Sure," said Ash. Then he told Team Rocket: "Just do it, okay? They're with me, and they really _want_ to fight you." 

Jessie sneered at Ash, but took out a Pokéball. "Go, Arbok!" 

"Weezing, go get them!" said James. 

"Pepper Breath!" Agumon attacked the two Pokémon, but they dodged it. 

"Arbok, use your Poison Sting attack!" said Jessie. 

"Aieeeeeee!" Agumon was hurt. 

"Agumon!" yelled Tai, tending to his Digimon. "Can someone Digivolve and get them?" 

"I'll do it!" answered Matt, holding out his Digivice. 

"Gabumon Digivolve to . . . Garurumon!" 

"Huh? It evolved!" said Ash, who was watching. 

"No, it Digivolved!" Izzy corrected him. 

"Howling Blaster!" The attack knocked out both Arbok and Weezing. 

Sora got an idea. "Biyomon! If you Digivolve, you can fly them out of here!" 

"Okay! Biyomon Digivolve to . . . Birdramon!" 

Birdramon picked the villains up in her talons. "Where should I take them?" 

"To the nearest police station," Ash answered. 

"What's that?" 

"There aren't any in the Digital World," Sora explained. 

"Oh," said Ash. "Well, just take them as far away as you can, then." 

"Okay. I'll be back!" Birdramon flew away. 

"That was a great battle!" Ash said to the Digidestined. "And when your Digimon Digivolve, it's a lot like when my Pokémon evolve!" 

"Really?" said Izzy. "Can they evolve right now?" 

"No. They only evolve when they get to a certain experience level, or when you use an evolution stone on them - _waugh_!" 

Ash had just seen Garurumon change _back _into Gabumon. That changed everything. "Forget what I said about Digivolving and evolving being alike," he said. "Pokémon can never change back." He started walking. 

"Time to go?" said Tai. 

"Don't talk to me!" said Ash, without slowing down. 

Slowly, the others followed him. "What was that about?" wondered Tai. 

"I think he's jealous," said Misty. "Like he said, when a Pokémon evolves, it stays that way. It can't go back to a previous form, but Digimon can, so he probably thinks they're better off." 

"Oh." 

Alone at the head of the group, Ash did not hear any of this conversation. _Stupid Digimon get to Digivolve back and forth, _he thought. _How many times have I seen Pokémon evolve? Not very many. They are_ so_ lucky to be like that._

_Why should I even be their friend? They don't need me because they can Digivolve, and I don't want to be around them because they're so different, so much - and I especially hate this part - better. Oh, yeah - they're coming to my house tonight. Darn those stupid Digimon!_

Pikachu, riding on Ash's head, said something that sounded comforting. 

"Thanks, Pikachu," said Ash. "I guess they can stay a little longer. We'll just have to see what happens." 

**To be continued . . .**

Disclaimer: Digimon belongs to Saban, Fox, Toei Animation, et al. Pokémon belong to Nintendo, Creatures, Gamefreak et al. No money is being made off this; I write because it's fun. :-) 


	4. Day 2 - Home Sweet Home

eightbadges4 A/N: This replaces the episode "It's Mr. Mimie Time." The bit with Pikachu is straight out of the show, but I couldn't get the actual dialogue from the show, so I had to rewrite it. Sorry. 

**Chapter 4**

"This must be Pallet Town," said Misty. "Just keep following Ash. We're going to his house." 

The group followed Ash, who still wasn't speaking to anyone, down the street to a neat little house. When Ash knocked on the door, a strange-looking creature answered it. 

"Mime, mime!" exclaimed the figure. 

"What are you?!" said Ash. 

"Mr. Mime!" 

"Mimie?" someone said from inside the house. "Who's there?" 

"Mime!" Mr. Mime moved aside. Ash's mother, Delia, came to the door. 

"Oh!" she said joyfully. "You're finally back!" 

With a huge smile, Ash prepared for an embrace. It didn't go as he had expected. Stunned, he fell over when his mother seized Pikachu and said, "I missed you so much!" 

Ash picked himself up. "Mom!" 

"Oh, Ash," said Delia, "I missed you too." 

"It's great to be home." 

Delia looked at all the people standing outside. "You're certainly popular now!" 

"Yeah. This is Misty, and that's Brock. They went with me on my Pokémon journey. Look, I have all the Indigo League badges." He showed them to his mother. 

"That's wonderful! Were you all right out there? Did you run into any trouble?" 

"I was fine." It was such a happy moment that he decided not to tell her about Team Rocket or Shinosama just yet. 

"Good. Well, you're all just in time for dinner. Come in!" 

Ash finally had one thing to say to Tai. "What do I tell my mom about you guys?" 

"The truth," answered Tai. "We'll tell our own story." 

Tai had been wondering why Ash was so jealous. If the seven Digimon could never return to a previous form, it would be a good thing in terms of fighting strength, but they would miss the Rookie forms, which were cuter and more fun. Maybe that was part of the reason Ash was jealous – if his Pokémon evolved, they would no longer be small and cute. 

There was only room at the dinner table for Ash, Delia, Brock, Misty, Tai, and Sora. Everyone else sat on chairs placed around the room. The monsters gathered around dishes of food on the floor in a corner. Over dinner, Ash told his mother about some of the highlights of his Pokémon journey. He finished the story with: "Yesterday, right after I won my Earthbadge, something really weird happened. My badges changed places with my new friends' crests –" 

"Crests?" Delia asked. 

"I'll get to that – and then a window opened in front of me, and I saw Tai and his friends on the other side." 

"Is that right," said Delia. 

"Yes, it is," said Tai. "We could talk to each other through the window, and we found out that the badges and crests had switched places. Here's my crest." He let Delia see it. 

"Interesting." 

"My friends and I came through the window, gave the badges back, and got our crests. Then we got a message from a kind of psychic Pokémon called Unown. They said they had brought us all together so we could defeat an evil being. We're on our way to Junction Peak, where the evil is based." 

Delia looked frightened. "But you're just kids . . . how can you win?" 

"We do it all the time," said Tai. "We came from the Digital World, where it's our job to protect against evil Digimon." 

"I've done it before, too," Ash admitted. "There are some Pokémon thieves who call themselves Team Rocket, and they've been after Pikachu since my first time in Viridian City, but they've never won. I've always managed to beat them off." 

"Oh, dear," said Delia. "And now you're going off to fight together? I don't know about this. It'll be dangerous." 

"Don't worry," said Sora. "We're a team, and we can take care of ourselves and each other. We'll be just fine." 

"Yes…" said Ash. What a nice thing to say! "We can do this. We've done so much already, we know how strong we are." 

"That's right," said Tai. "We can win!" 

"All right," said Delia. "Please be careful." 

"I will," said Ash. 

"Now what's this about the Digital World? And what do your crests do?" Delia asked Tai and Sora. 

"It's a place made up of computer data," said Tai, "but everything there is real and alive. Digimon, or digital monsters, live there. We all have one as a partner. We went there for the first time one day at summer camp . . ." 

******* 

After dinner, everyone except Delia went into the living room. 

"Guys?" said Ash. 

Everyone listened. 

"I'm sorry I was such a jerk today. When I saw how your Digimon Digivolve, I was jealous of you because Pokémon evolve permanently – they don't ever go back." 

"We know, Misty told us," said Matt. 

"Oh. Well, I thought about it, and I remembered that Pokémon evolution is really special. Trainers have to work hard with their Pokémon to get them to evolve, and it's an important moment when it happens. Digimon Digivolve every day, right?" 

"No, not _every_ day," said Izzy. "They only Digivolve when we need their more powerful forms, and when they have enough energy." 

"Oh," said Ash. "Anyway, I decided that evolving and Digivolving are alike – they work differently, but they do the same thing in the end." 

"That's totally right," said Tai. "There's no reason to think that Pokémon or Digimon are better." 

"Digimon can talk," Tentomon pointed out. 

"Yes," Patamon countered, "but even though Pikachu can't talk, I think he has almost the same bond with Ash as we do with our partners. That's why I told Team Rocket to give Pikachu back." 

"Thanks," said Ash, "I think you're right." Then he addressed Tai. "We can be friends now, right?" 

"Absolutely!" They shook hands. 

After half an hour of setting up extra blankets, pillows, and sleeping bags, everyone managed to get some sleep. Tomorrow, they would begin the next leg of their journey to Junction Peak. The union the two groups had forged would be tested there. 

**To be continued . . .**

Disclaimer: Digimon belongs to Saban, Fox, Toei Animation, et al. Pokémon belong to Nintendo, Creatures, Gamefreak et al. No money is being made off this; I write because it's fun. :-) 


	5. Day 3 - Evil's Effects

eightbadges5 **Chapter 5**

The road to Junction Peak was a dirt path through the forest, like many others in the land of Pokémon. It was fairly straight, but branched off in many directions. As usual, Ash was leading the group. 

"I'm _sure_ we've been here before," said Misty. "Do you know where you're going, Ash?" 

"Of course!" said Ash. "We'll get there soon." 

"We're going to get lost again," Misty muttered. 

An hour later, Ash said to Misty, "Why do you always have to be right? We're lost." 

"Great," sighed Misty. 

"Does this happen a lot?" Tai wondered. 

"Yes," Misty answered. "Oh! Look at that!" 

Up ahead was an area where everything had been destroyed, but not by any weapon. Everything looked washed-out, drained, lifeless. 

"What happened here?" said Tai. 

"Beats me," said Ash. 

"Look there!" said Joe. 

Joe had found a message hastily scratched into the bare dirt: "Shinosama was here." 

"So this is what Shinosama does," said Ash. "We've got to stop him." 

"I think I'm wilting," said Palmon. "Whatever did this, it's still here and it's working on us. Let's go." 

"Okay. Now we have to get back on the right road. Maybe I should go back to the corner and try turning another way . . ." 

"Hey," Sora said suddenly, "is that Junction Peak?" 

Everyone looked where she was pointing. They saw a high mountain with a large building on top and a visible dark aura all around it. 

Ash laughed a little. "Yeah, that's it. Thanks, Sora." They continued in the direction of the mountain. 

_It drives me crazy when he gets lost like that,_ Misty thought, _but he and I are still friends. I love him, in fact; I have for a long time now, and he has no idea how I really feel. I want to tell him, but I'm afraid of how he'll react. What if I lose him? What am I going to do?_

**To be continued . . .**

Disclaimer: Digimon belongs to Saban, Fox, Toei Animation, et al. Pokémon belong to Nintendo, Creatures, Gamefreak et al. No money is being made off this; I write because it's fun. :-) 


	6. Day 3 - A Heart-to-Heart

eightbadges6 **Chapter 6**

The sky was clear and starry that night. The whole group of heroes had gone to sleep except for two girls. These two were sitting up with their arms around their knees. 

Misty looked from the sky to Ash and back again. Her orange hair hung loosely down her back and blew about in the breeze. She was thinking of ways to tell Ash she loved him. 

Sora was gazing into the sky, occasionally glancing down at Tai. She wasn't wearing her signature blue hat. She was wondering whether Tai liked her back. 

Slowly, they noticed each other. Sora stood up, walked over to Misty, and sat down next to her. "What's on your mind?" Sora asked. 

"Oh . . . things," said Misty evasively. 

"I have things on my mind too. Want to talk about them?" 

"All right. I was thinking about how to tell Ash how I feel about him. We're just good friends, but I want us to be more. I love him. I haven't told him so, because I'm too afraid, too unsure of myself. And he might reject me. That's what I'm afraid of." 

"Funny, that's what I was thinking about. I feel that way about Tai. I want to tell him, too, but I'm not sure if either of us is ready to be in a relationship." 

"That sounds reasonable. So you're waiting to tell him?" 

"Yes. It hasn't been very long, but it seems like it." 

"I'm the same way. Hey – I think you should know my song. I sing it at night sometimes when I'm thinking about Ash . . . like I am now." 

"Sing it. I'd love to hear it." 

"Okay." Misty paused, and then began the song. 

"Out here in the quiet of the night,   
Beneath the stars   
And moon,   
We both know we've got something on our minds   
We won't admit,   
But it's true.   
You look at me,   
I look away . . . 

"I wanna tell you what I'm feeling,   
But I don't know how to start.   
I wanna tell you, but now I'm afraid   
That you might break my heart.   
Oh, why should anything so easy ever   
Be so hard to do?   
I wanna tell you what I'm feeling and to say that   
I love you. 

"I practice all the things that I could say,   
Line by line,   
Every word.   
I tell myself today could be the day,   
But every time,   
I lose my nerve.   
I look at you,   
You look away . . ." 

Sora joined in for the repeated chorus.   
"I wanna tell you what I'm feeling,   
But I don't know how to start.   
I wanna tell you, but now I'm afraid   
That you might break my heart.   
Oh, why should anything so easy ever   
Be so hard to do?   
I wanna tell you what I'm feeling and to say that   
I love you." 

Misty sang the last verse alone.   
"Why, why do you turn away?   
It must be   
You're afraid like me.   
I try,   
But I can't pretend that I   
Don't feel for you   
The way I do,   
Can't you see?" 

They sang the chorus one last time, together.   
"I wanna tell you what I'm feeling,   
But I don't know how to start.   
I wanna tell you, but now I'm afraid   
That you might break my heart.   
Oh, why should anything so easy ever   
Be so hard to do?   
I wanna tell you what I'm feeling and to say that   
I love you." 

"That was beautiful," said Sora. "You must be talented to write something like that." 

"I guess it just takes words, emotions, and a sense of rhythm," Misty said modestly. 

"So you think Ash likes you?" 

"Yes. Maybe I'm crazy, but I do." 

"And you like him, even when he gets you lost?" 

"Yes. It's annoying, but at the same time, it's cute." 

"But you still don't want to tell him how you feel?" 

"No. The waiting is hard, but someday when we're ready, it'll all be worth it." 

"That's so true. Well, let's get some sleep. Thank you for the song. I'll always remember it." 

"You're welcome. Good night." 

"Good night." Sora went back to her spot next to Biyomon and lay down to sleep. 

**To be continued . . .**

Disclaimer: Digimon belongs to Saban, Fox, Toei Animation, et al. Pokémon belong to Nintendo, Creatures, Gamefreak et al. The song belongs to (this is from the CD liner): Pikachu Music (BMI)/Jigglypuff Music (ASCAP), and 4Kids Entertainment, which is another co-owner of Pokémon in general. No money is being made off this; I write because it's fun. :-) 


	7. Day 4 - Into the Mountain

eightbadges7 **Chapter 7**

Junction Peak was now very close. As the group approached it, they thought about the battle and a silent, serious mood came over them. 

When they got there, they found a winding stairway leading up and into the mountain. A big, ugly, humanoid gray robot was guarding the stairway. 

"Who are you?" said the robot when it saw them. 

"Your worst nightmare!" answered Ash. 

"Really? You don't look like a torturous magnetic memory erasure." 

"I mean, the people who are going to fight you and win!" 

"Welcome to Junction Peak. I am the guard, VN-45. I allow no outsiders to enter." 

"We're going in anyway!" said Tai. "Let's go, Agumon!" 

"Agumon Digivolve to . . . Greymon! Nova Blast!" 

A singed VN-45 began wrestling with Greymon. 

"Get them apart, Palmon!" said Mimi. 

"Poison Ivy!" Palmon pulled the robot away from Greymon. 

"Why don't we step in, Gomamon?" said Joe. 

"Sure! Gomamon Digivolve to . . . Ikkakumon! 

"Harpoon Torpedo!" The attack knocked VN-45 to the ground. 

"We've got him where we want him!" said Matt, intending to join the fight. 

"Wait!" said Tai. "The Pokémon haven't done anything yet! We're supposed to be working together!" 

Ash heard him. "Go, Pikachu! Thundershock it!" 

"CHUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU!" 

The robot laid still, with its circuits overloaded. 

"We did it!" said Tai. "Come on, let's go!" 

They climbed the narrow stairs single-file. When they entered the mountain, they found themselves at the edge of a deep chasm. Two pairs of ropes hung across it, one to hold the boards of a bridge and the other to hold onto while crossing it. The boards were stacked to the right of the entrance, with a note attached to them: 

_To reach headquarters, you must cross using these boards and ropes. You may not use anything else to get across, but you may use anything you have to move the boards along the ropes. Servants of Shinosama: Speak your password now._

"Well, let's get to work," said Tai. 

They put the boards on the ropes. There were only ten boards, not enough to allow one to walk all the way across. 

"Any ideas?" 

"Bulbasaur could pull the boards across with Vine Whip," Ash suggested. 

"And I could help with my Poison Ivy!" Palmon volunteered. 

"Okay, said Ash. "Bulbasaur, go!" Bulbasaur came out of its Pokéball. "If you both stand on the last board, you can grab the ropes with your vines and pull the board across." 

Bulbasaur and Palmon went out to the last board. "Saur!" Bulbasaur extended its vines. 

"I think it wants to lead, not follow," said Ash. 

"Fine," said Palmon. "Poison Ivy!" 

The two monsters pulled their way across the bridge. From the other side, Palmon asked, "Now what?" 

"I'll cross next," answered Brock. "I have Onix to move the boards." He went out to the furthest board left on that side. "Pull me across." 

The monsters obliged. "Go, Onix!" said Brock as he stepped off on the other side. The enormous stone snake was large enough to reach all the way across the chasm. 

"Onix, we need you to push these boards along the ropes and get everyone over here," said Brock. "First push those two back." 

Onix did so, and all ten boards were on the entrance side of the bridge again. 

"Do we get on now?" asked Misty, catching on to Brock's strategy. 

"Yes," Brock answered. "Leave some room in the middle of the board. 

Finding that they would lose their balance if they stood up, Ash and Misty sat down on either end of the last board. Gently biting the center of the board, Onix pulled them across. Tai and Agumon got on the next board. Onix pulled each Digidestined and his or her Digimon across the bridge in this way. There was one board left when it was all done. 

"That was great, Brock," said Tai. "Thanks a lot. You too, Onix." 

"You're welcome," said Brock. "Onix, return." 

"Good job, Bulbasaur," said Ash. "Return." 

The group followed the tunnel that led away from the bridge. They rounded a bend and came to a chamber with an elevator. Instead of buttons, however, there were six different-colored, glowing panels and more instructions: 

_Servants of Shinosama, enter your code to activate the elevator. Others, defeat this system in a memory game and you will be granted access. When the game begins, a sequence of five lights will flash. You must press the same lights and repeat the sequence. The sequence will lengthen by one light each time you enter it correctly. The elevator will activate once you have correctly entered the final sequence of 20 lights. Press the red light to begin._

"This won't be too hard," said Tai. "I'll press the lights. You can all watch and help me remember." 

Tai pressed the red light. Everyone watched intently as the game began. During the tense minutes that followed, several people helped with the sequence. At last, the elevator doors opened. The Digidestined, Digimon, and Pokémon trainers all got inside. What challenge would be waiting for them when they got out? 

**To be continued . . .**

Disclaimer: Digimon belongs to Saban, Fox, Toei Animation, et al. Pokémon belong to Nintendo, Creatures, Gamefreak et al. No money is being made off this; I write because it's fun. :-) 


	8. Day 4 - The Final Battle

eightbadges8 A/N: Megchan's Encyclopedia deserves credit for helping with this chapter. I used it to look up most of the Ultimate attacks. Thanks Megchan! :-) 

**Chapter 8**

The elevator doors slid open. The group stepped out into a spacious, shadowy, torch-lit chamber. A man sat at the far end. He was wearing black clothing with black boots and a deep scarlet cape. 

"Ah, you're here," said the man. "Come closer, so that we can talk." 

"I don't have anything to say to you," Tai said angrily, as they stepped forward. 

"I do," said Tentomon. "Why let us in here? Why not just capture us in the first place?" 

"I enjoy fighting opponents," Shinosama explained, "but only if they are worthy. You have proved yourselves worthy by passing all the tests on the way here. Therefore, if you want to fight, so be it." 

"He must be pretty sure he'll win," Tai said quietly. 

"You are correct," said Shinosama. "Nothing lives for long around me. I take life force and use it to build my power, so that someday I can control your worlds!" 

"But why do it to _our_ two worlds?" 

"I am a product of evil forces from both worlds. When those forces ceased to exist, parts of them came together and created me. I want to avenge them, and so I must wreak my vengeance on the worlds that rejected them." 

"Then I guess you know who we are." 

"Yes, I do. Now are you ready to fight?" 

"Yeah, let's go!" 

"We should save some of our Pokémon for later in the battle," Misty said to her two friends. 

"Good thinking," said Ash. They set to work choosing their first and second groups of Pokémon. Meanwhile, the Digimon were preparing for battle in their own way. 

"Agumon Digivolve to . . . Greymon!"   
"Gabumon Digivolve to . . . Garurumon!"   
"Biyomon Digivolve to . . . Birdramon!"   
"Tentomon Digivolve to . . . Kabuterimon!"   
"Gomamon Digivolve to . . . Ikkakumon!"   
"Palmon Digivolve to . . . Togemon!"   
"Patamon Digivolve to . . . Angemon!" 

"I can't Digivolve!" cried Gatomon. 

"Some of your power is blocked here," said Shinosama. "You won't be able to Digivolve to Ultimate." 

"We'll fight anyway!" said Ash. "Hey, Mimi, Togemon – let's start it off Grass-style!" 

"Sure!" said Togemon. "Needle Spray!" 

"Bulbasaur, Razor Leaf!" 

Shinosama recoiled, but then said, "It's only a scratch." He hit the two grass monsters with beams of dark energy that left Bulbasaur motionless and Palmon back in Rookie form. 

"Let's try some water!" said Misty. "Horsea, Goldeen, Starmie, Staryu, Water Gun!" 

"You too, Squirtle!" added Ash. 

"Harpoon Torpedo!" Ikkakumon threw in. 

Shinosama used more of the same energy to create a shield. The water streamed off it and flowed across the floor, but the torpedo cracked it and it flickered and died. 

"Nice try," said Shinosama, "but not enough." 

"Can we just all attack together now?" Ash said impatiently. 

"Yeah!" said Tai. "Let's do it!" 

"Pikachu, Thunder Shock! Charizard –" 

Charizard wasn't listening. 

"Never mind." 

"Hit him with it again!" Misty told her team of water Pokémon. 

"You all know what you best attacks are," Brock said to his Pokémon. "Go for it!" 

"Nova Blast!"   
"Howling Blaster!"   
"Meteor Wing!"   
"Electro-Shocker!"   
"Harpoon Torpedo!"   
"Angel Staff!"   
"Lightning Paw!" 

Some of the attacks hit home. Shinosama countered the others and, almost before the heroes knew it, fought back and froze everyone in place. 

"You fight well," he said, "but do you realize how strange what you're doing is? You should never have had anything to do with each other." 

"What?" said Ash. 

"Think about it. Pokémon. Digimon. You're so different, it's astonishing you like each other at all. Think of all the differences between you. The numbers of attacks. The numbers of monsters per person. And above all, the ways you evolve." 

The words made Ash remember how it had felt when he had first learned about Digivolving. It was so different, so much better, and yet so wrong. "Yes," said Ash. "They're so stupid . . . so different . . . I ha –" 

"Ash, snap out of it!" said Misty. "You're their friend, remember? Shinosama is just trying to turn you against each other. You and the Digidestined have a lot in common. You're good and you defend what's right . . . and your monsters are your best friends. You can be friends with them, too." For emphasis, she kissed him on the cheek. 

"Huh?" said Ash. 

Misty winked at Sora, who grinned back and said to Tai, "How about it? Friends to the end?" 

"Friends to the end!" said Tai. 

"Yeah!" said Ash. 

That started a reaction. The crests and badges the heroes were carrying freed themselves and floated up into the air. 

"Our crests!" said Tai. 

"And badges!" said Ash. "What are they doing?" 

Each crests joined up with the badge it had traded places with when the adventure had begun. From each pair came a beam of light the color of the crest that was part of that pair. The light traveled to the Pokémon and Digimon associated with that crest and badge, breaking the freeze on everyone. 

"They combined their powers!" said Tai. 

"We can Digivolve to Ultimate now!" Greymon declared. 

"Pika pika!" The Pokémon were ready to fight, too. 

"Go for it!" said Tai. 

"Greymon Digivolve to . . . MetalGreymon!"   
"Garurumon Digivolve to . . . WereGarurumon!"   
"Birdramon Digivolve to . . . Garudamon!"   
"Kabuterimon Digivolve to . . . MegaKabuterimon!"   
"Ikkakumon Digivolve to . . . Zudomon!"   
"Palmon Digivolve to . . . Togemon! Togemon Digivolve to . . . Lillymon!"   
"Angemon Digivolve to . . . MagnaAngemon!"   
"Gatomon Digivolve to . . . Angewomon!" 

"How can this be?" cried Shinosama. 

"Our mutual friendship made the crests and badges release their power!" Izzy reasoned. 

"Giga Blaster!" 

Amazingly, Ash's Charizard joined MetalGreymon in the fight and hit Shinosama with Flame Thrower. 

"Wolf Claw!"   
"Wing Blade!"   
"Horn Buster!"   
"Vulcan's Hammer!"   
"Flower Cannon!"   
"Heaven's Charm!" 

"It's working!" said Tai. "What's the best way to finish him?" 

"This," said MagnaAngemon. "Gate of Destiny!" 

MagnaAngemon opened a gate in the air and the other Digimon threw the badly beaten Shinosama through it. It closed and disappeared. 

"We did it!" Ash cheered. "We really did it!" 

"Yeah!" Everyone hugged someone. Sora was even brave enough to quickly kiss Tai, much to his confusion. 

The elevator doors opened again. A swarm of something came out of it. 

"Unown!" said Ash. "We did it!" 

CONGRATULATIONS STOP YOU DID VERY WELL STOP 

"So what exactly happened with the badges and crests?" Izzy asked. 

AS YOU SAID YOUR FRIENDSHIP MADE THEM RELEASE THEIR POWERS STOP REMEMBER THE BADGES HAVE THEM TOO STOP GO BACK OUT OF THE MOUNTAIN AND WE WILL TELL YOU MORE STOP WE WILL TAKE YOU ACROSS THE BRIDGE STOP 

"Okay," said Ash. The group and the Unown crowded into the elevator. 

**To be continued . . .**

Disclaimer: Digimon belongs to Saban, Fox, Toei Animation, et al. Pokémon belong to Nintendo, Creatures, Gamefreak et al. No money is being made off this; I write because it's fun. :-) 


	9. Day 4 - Till We Meet Again

eightbadges9 **Chapter 9**

"So, are you going to move the boards this time?" Ash asked the Unown. 

NO STOP LIKE ALL PSYCHIC POKEMON WE ARE TELEKINETIC STOP WE WILL FLOAT YOU ACROSS STOP 

"Okay." 

The Unown lifted all the trainers, Digidestined, and Digimon, carried them across the chasm, and carefully set them down on the other side. 

"That was fun!" said Kari. "Thanks!" 

YOU ARE WELCOME STOP was the reply of the Unown. 

They walked back down the stairs and into the sunlight. 

NOW IT IS TIME FOR OUR GUESTS TO RETURN TO THE DIGITAL WORLD STOP YOU CAN LEAVE AS SOON AS YOU ARE READY STOP 

"Will we ever see our new friends again?" asked Tai. 

IF THAT IS WHAT YOU WISH THEN YOU WILL STOP THE TRAINERS WILL HAVE ACCESS TO THE DIGITAL WORLD FROM NOW ON SO YOU CAN MEET THERE STOP 

"How does that work?" 

WHEN YOU GO TO THE DIGITAL WORLD YOU CAN INVITE THEM STOP IF YOU DO A MESSAGE WILL COME TO THEM THROUGH THE POKEDEX STOP IF THEY ACCEPT THE INVITATION THEY WILL BE TRANSPORTED TO THE DIGITAL WORLD STOP 

"Cool, thanks!" said Ash. 

WE WILL NOW CONTACT THE DIGITAL WORLD WHILE YOU SAY GOODBYE STOP 

"Goodbye, Ash," said Tai. "It was great working with you. You're a strong person, I think you'd make a good Digidestined." 

"Thanks," said Ash. "I hope we meet again someday." 

"Me too." 

"Did you see what I did to Tai?" Sora giggled. 

"Yes!" squealed Misty. "We did it! Thanks for being my friend." 

"Thank _you_. And good luck with him." 

"You too." 

"We're ready," Tai said to the Unown. 

VERY WELL STOP DIGIPORT OPEN STOP 

A Digiport just like the one they had first come through opened. The Digidestined and their Digimon walked through, then turned and waved goodbye to the trainers as the portal closed. 

**The End**

Disclaimer: Digimon belongs to Saban, Fox, Toei Animation, et al. Pokémon belong to Nintendo, Creatures, Gamefreak et al. No money is being made off this; I write because it's fun. :-) 


	10. Bonus Section - Poke- and Digi-bloop Tha...

eight badges bloopers A/N: Heehee! These are in story order. With the exception of the "badgers" one, all the bloopers involving typos are based on actual errors I made while writing this story.   


**Chapter 1**

Poem: _The children who can save their worlds_   
_Hold crests and badgers -_   
Ash: (interrupts) BADGERS?! I do not hold badgers!   
Director: It was just a typo! Someone fix it, please... 

Me (writing): "There's something strange going on . . ." said their other friend, Borck, quietly.   
Brock: WHAT?   
Pikachu: (subtitled) We are the Borck... resistance is futile...   
Me: (laughing) Sorry. 

Ash: Look at this, all my badges changed.   
(opens jacket, but isn't wearing a shirt under it; blushes as Digi-girls giggle)   
Director: CUT! 

(Tai runs toward window, slams into it, and falls)   
Tai: Uggghhh . . . pain . . .   
Director: Cut! Why is there glass in the window?!   
James: (laughs)   
Ash: Team Rocket! You're not supposed to be here yet! (chases James off the set) 

Ash: Okay. By the way, what are you?   
Unown: I AM LORD VOLDEMORT   
Director: CUT!!! That's not even from an anime! Come on, do it right!   
Unown: OH ALL RIGHT 

**Chapter 2**

Gabumon: Not all of them. Blue Blaster! (attack comes out orange) Um, Blue Blaster! (maroon) I said _Blue_ Blaster! (lime green) What's wrong with me?   
Director: Nothing. FRED! GET IT RIGHT!   
Fred the special-effects guy: Er, sorry, just experimenting . . . there, now it's blue.   
Director: Okay, let's take it again . . . argh . . . 

**Chapter 3**

Matt: I'll do it! (holds up Digivice)   
"Gomamon Digivolve to . . . Garurumon!"   
Matt and Joe: WHAT THE HECK!?   
Garurumon: (who now has Gomamon's voice) This is seriously messed up.   
Director: Cut... 

**Chapter 4**

Tai: Then we got a massage from - oops...   
Everyone: (laughs)   
Directory: CUT! Tai, you meant _message, _right?   
Tai: (still laughing) Yeah . . . typo in the script . . .   
Director: Well, now you have to do your big speech ALL over again, thanks to our wonderful writer . . .   
Everyone: -_-; 

**Chapter 5**

Sora: Hey, is that Junction Peak?   
(points to the mountain, which is surrounded by a bright pink aura)   
Mimi: Kawaii!   
Director: Cut! Fred, the script says a visible _dark _aura!   
Fred: I know, just having some fun... 

**Chapter 6**

Sora: Sing it. I'd love to hear it.   
Misty: Okay. (pauses)   
(sings) Yoru no sora ni matataku tooi kin no hoshi -   
Director: Cut! Where did THAT come from?   
Misty: I have no idea... 

**Chapter 7**

Tai: That was great, Borck - oops.   
Brock: MY NAME IS NOT BORCK!   
Pikachu: (subtitled) May the Borck be with you!   
Me: When did Pikachu become a sci-fi fan? 

Tai: This won't be too hard. I'll press the lights. You can all watch and help me remember.   
(presses lights, but messes up on the tenth pattern; the game buzzes and the lights go dark)   
Director: Cut! Tai, that's the third time! When will you learn?   
Tai: I have . . . let's try it again . . .   
Director: Okay, places. Take four . . . action.   
Tai: This won't be too hard. I'll press the lights. You can all watch and help me remember.   
(presses lights, messes up again)   
Tai: It was _not _my fault that time! I remembered!   
Director: Cut. Fred?   
Fred: (sighs) Yes, it was me, I changed the pattern . . . sorry, I'll fix it now . . .   
Director: Okay, places . . . 

**Chapter 8**

Ash: Bulbasaur, Razor Lear!   
Togemon: Razor _Lear_?   
Ash: Oops. _Leaf. _You know what I mean.   
Director: (laughing) Cut. 

Tai: Our crests!   
Ash: And badgers! Oh, shoot, I did NOT just say that . . .   
Misty: (laughing) Yeah, you did.   
Director: Cut... oh, geez... 

**Chapter 9**

(This is when they're about to go back across the bridge.)   
Ash: Okay.   
(The Unown start spelling out a list of the names of everyone who is in the scene.)   
Mimi: Is it time for the credits already?   
Director: No. Unown, what are you doing?   
Unown: WE ARE LISTING ALL THE TRAINERS DIGIDESTINED AND DIGIMON STOP   
Director: You again, Fred?   
Fred: I don't control them!   
Director: Must be another script typo. BARBARA!!!   
Me: Yes?   
Director: Do you know why the Unown are listing people?   
Me: (laughing) Yes, it's my fault, I meant _lift_, not _list_ . . . sorry.   
Director: Okay. Unown, stop it. Places for the next take...   


Disclaimer: Digimon belongs to Saban, Fox, Toei Animation, et al. Pokémon belong to Nintendo, Creatures, Gamefreak et al. The Star Trek reference belongs to someone (not me). The Harry Potter reference belongs to the great J. K. Rowling. The Star Wars reference belongs to Lucasfilm Ltd. The song lyrics under Chapter 6 are excerpted from "Yoru no Uta" from the Card Captor Sakura soundtrack, and are not mine. No money is being made off this; I write because it's fun. :-) 


End file.
